Google Reports 1.5 Million Android Activations Per Day

Google chairman Eric Schmidt expects 1 billion Android devices in use by year's end, as the platform steamrolls forward at an astonishing pace.

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Eric Schmidt isn't shy when it comes to talking about Android's success. Responding to questions during AllThingsD's Dive Into Mobile conference Tuesday, Schmidt had plenty to say about the company's mobile ambitions.

Put simply, "Our goal with Android is to reach everyone," said Schmidt. The company is well on its way to doing just that. According to Schmidt, there are now 1.5 million new Android devices (smartphones, tablets, etc.) activated every single day. At that pace, Google is seeing more than 10 million new devices per week.

"We'll cross 1 billion Android devices in six to nine months," said Schmidt. (There are about 750 million Android devices out there at the moment.) "In a year or two, we'll hit two billion. And the way that's going to happen is with the debut of low-end devices from manufacturers, primarily in Asia. If low-end smartphones are inexpensive now, imagine just how inexpensive they'll be a few years from now. And that's how we're going to hit the next billion devices."

Google has little room left to grow in mature markets, such as the U.S. and Europe. Further, manufacturers generally target U.S. and European consumers with midrange to high-end smartphones, such as the HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S 4. It is markets such as India, Indonesia and China that will push Android's growth further toward the stratosphere. It sounds like that's exactly Google's plan.

"They have a new set of products, which are phenomenal," said Schmidt of Motorola. "Very, very impressive." When prodded to spill more details, all Schmidt would say is, "Think of it as phones-plus." That could mean anything. Is he talking about phones that do more than what today's phones can do, or is he talking about phablets (plus-sized phones)? He didn't specify.

There has been a lot of chatter across the Internet about what Motorola plans to do next with respect to its hardware business. Earlier this year, a Google exec bemoaned the fact that the company had 18 months' worth of phones to deliver when Google completed its acquisition of Motorola about a year ago. Some of those devices, such as the Droid RAZR M and RAZR HD, have already hit the market. It's been six months, though, since we've seen new hardware from Motorola. Those Droids landed on Verizon's network during the fourth quarter of 2012. The "phones-plus" device referenced most often is called the X Phone, which is expected to be the Android phone to conquer all Android phones.

Until Google and Motorola get around to making any announcements, though, U.S. consumers will happily lap up devices such as the HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S 4, both of which arrive in just a few short weeks.

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My first smart phone was the Droid, purchased on the first day they became available. The operating system had glitches but worked okay. Now I have been using a Droid Razr Maxx for the last year. It is currently using Android Version 4.1.2.

I am pleased with the phone. It does all that I want. 4GLTE is fast. Verizon coverage is everywhere. Google Maps and Navigation work flawlessly. Android works for me. Go Android!

Android's success? Maybe in quantity of devices sporting the system but not in satisfaction of users. I have had three phones and two tablets using the Android OS but that doesn't mean I love using it. There are multitudes of folks who simply use it because that's what our carrier offers, not because it's the OS of choice. Many other folks choose it because it's a cheap OS to use.

Success can happen for many reasons besides offering the best product, Android is just another proof of that. I seriously doubt that when cellphones evolve again as they have several times in the past that Android will remain the sales leader.

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